When conducting library research for your speech assignments, you are expected to find authoritative information. Sources such as subject encyclopedias, books published by reputable publishing houses, articles from edited magazines and journals, and websites published by experts in the field, are all considered authoritative sources. Yet, you still need to evaluate these resources critically, especially for their applicability to your assignment. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What are the author's credentials? Does this author have expertise in this area?
- When was the source published?
- Is the source current or out of date for your topic? Topics in the sciences require current information. Other topics may not, such as topics in the Humanities.
- Who published the source? A university press (likely to be scholarly)?
- If the source is a periodical, is it scholarly or popular?
- Who is the intended audience?
- Is the information factual, or opinionated or emotional?
- Is the information well researched and supported by evidence?
- Is the topic covered thoroughly or only partially? (Solid overview information along with additional sources offering corroborative information will assist here.)
- Is the information organized well?
Evaluating websites is trickier because there are many hoax sites that appear authoritative, making it difficult to know if the information you find on a website is trustworthy. To determine a website's authority, follow these steps.
Click here for an excellent web page from the University of California at Berkeley that offers tips for evaluating web pages along with a detailed list of questions to ask when trying to determine their reliability.
